Engine choking out?

[gypsyone]

so i i have a 1600 engine with an alternator. the engine cranks and turns however it wont stay idol i try to feed it gas and it revs then just dies out. could it the carb? the carb is squirting fuel.. or could it be the distributor .. or the ignition coil?

[Eric&Barb]

Do a full tune up first.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[gypsyone]

[KTPhil]

Shortcuts almost always take longer (and cost more). A tune-up will flush out most of these types of issues faster than randomly replacing components.

[gypsyone]

i also forgot to mention that the bug has a bad wire job, my signals are switched and the wiring just looks crazy, i know it shouldnt look the way it does considering the year and compared to my super beetle. you think that could be cause the issue? like perhaps causing the ignition coil or distributor to not work properly?

[drscope]

You really haven’t given much to go on, but the fact that it does start sort of rules out electrical.

Start with the fuel issue. You may be getting too much which would be a carb problem, or too little which could be a crud in the tank, plugged line, clogged filter, bad pump issue.

And although you told us what engine you have, you didn’t tell us what CAR you have! The more info you can give on the car and the history of the problem, the better we can try to guess what your problem might be caused by and point you in the right direction.

Has the car been running or sitting for 10 years? Did this problem just start or did you just drag the car home for the first time and start messing with it?

Jack up the side of the car opposite of the filler neck on the gas tank, so the side of the car the filler neck is on is on the low side. Then take the cap off and look into the tank with a flash light.

Water in the tank will look like small globs of gelatin on the bottom of the tank. There could also be other crud in there.

The fuel pick up in the tank is supposed to covered with a sock screen. If you have water or crud in the tank that screen can get plugged up and not allow fuel to flow.

Also check to make sure you don’t have a filter in line. These were NOT original equipment but many owners added them over the years. Sometimes they are in the rubber line under the tank and other times they are in the rubber line alongside the transmission between the chassis and the engine. It may also be in the engine compartment (bad place and should be moved if you have one there).

If you have one of those inline filters, replace it with a new one as it may be clogged. Don’t assume it’s OK because you don’t see any crud in it. Some of them filter from the inside out so you won’t see the crud.

If it’s not a filter issue, check to make sure the pump is working. This can be a DANGEROUS test, so make sure you are prepared properly BEFORE you start! And you will want a competent helper!

Start by having a fire extinguisher right there at the car within reach!

Remove the coil wire from the car. Don’t just pull one end, REMOVE the wire. This lessens the possibility of sparks flying when you are dealing with raw fuel.

Get a long piece of fuel line – 2 to 3 feet and a large can or jar.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[gypsyone]

[Potsie]

Ditto on the tune up, but if it's a fresh rebuild that should all be good. I think you're on the right track with fuel supply or carb problem. First see if gas is getting to carb. If not, figure out why (you should absolutely replace the fuel lines if you haven't already). If the carb is getting fuel, clean it up and use a rebuild kit on it. Make sure to test the float and needle valve. There's a good chance you could just have a clogged up idle jet.

If you don't have the Muir book (or a similar manual), get one. Then, open it to the section about the car not starting.

[drscope]

You NEED this;

There IS a fuel pump. It's on the engine just to the right of the distributor. Fuel line comes into engine bay on left side and goes into fuel pump. Then line comes out of fuel pump and goes to carb.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[gypsyone]

[gypsyone]

[gypsyone]

alright guess, are you ready for the embarrassing story? apparently the mechanic only put enough to get it running and leave it running to make sure everything was good. the next day when i went to go pick up the bug he couldn't get it running again, ended up towing it home and we're here now. ok so i was pulling on the accelerator on the carb to see if fuel was coming out, it was squirting not juicing the way it properly should. so one of you advised me to prop the gas tank on one side and to noticed there was hardly any gas. so out of curiosity i go and pull on the accelerator again and to my surprise the carb is juicing just right. i go to start the engine and it RUNS! the worst part is that a few days ago the mechanic that had built and installed that engine was breaking his head because he couldn't get running and i had asked him if it need gas, he said he did. oh mechanics.. dude probably did put gas but barely. later on today im gonna go grab some gas and fill the bug up, ill report back tonight, that is if im not out cruising.

[Eric&Barb]

Everyone does that or others, from time to time.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[Potsie]

Yeah, I've definitely had my share of moments like that. Have to give you credit for fessing up! To me, this is the best case scenario. Nothing to fix!

[gypsyone]

ok so the i filled the tank and yes it definitely solved the question whether it was a card issue or a line was clogged. however i ran into a new problem, i noticed the battery was draining and wasn't holding power. to further prove this i put jumpers on the batteries connected to my truck and the engine stayed on, so now the bad wiring is affecting things. am i right there or wrong?

[Potsie]

The car will run with a dead battery, it just won't start without being jumped. It won't run when the generator is not putting out enough power. For whatever reason, if you have the generator disconnected for awhile, it loses the magnetic charge that it needs to produce electricity. I had this problem recently. The car was running but the battery was not getting charged enough. I didn't notice until I drove around with headlights and then could not restart the car.

Anyway, if you have a voltage meter you can easily test the generator. You may need to charge the battery with a charger first. With the engine off, put the tester's positive lead on the positive battery post and the tester's negative lead on the negative post. It should read around 12V. Now, with the engine running, do the same test. It should now read higher, around 14V. It will read higher at higher rpms. If not, the generator is not working.

If you get no increase in voltage, you can try repolarizing the generator. With the engine off, remove the generator belt. Connect a wire from the ground post on the generator (where the green wire was) to the generator body. Now, connect a wire from the positive battery post to the positive post on the generator (where the red wire was). I used jumper cables to make it easier, then a smaller wire with alligator clips. The generator will spin, you are running like an electric motor. DO THIS ONLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. Otherwise you may burn up the generator. Now, put the belt back on.

If everything works out, this will bring back the magnetic charge the generator needs. Repeat the test and see if your generator is now producing power.

[gypsyone]

i should have said i have an alternator, but i do suspect something between the alternator and battery. like i keep saying the wiring is screwed and maybe something is leading to my problem. i want to attempt at rewiring, it cant be any worse than it is now and i got a friend coming back in town within 2 weeks. hes going to rewire it i can take this chance to learn before he comes in.

[drscope]

You got your Idiot book. The next thing you need to do before you touch the car is to READ the book! Not just the section on the car not starting, but the WHOLE book. Maybe not word for word, but it’s pretty obvious you are in over your head and don’t know which way to go. You are just guessing and those guesses may in fact make things a LOT worse for you.

So READ THE BOOK!

As for the wiring, it’s one of the most basic systems on the planet. Wiring diagrams are here on this site in the TECHNICAL section. Print off the diagram for 1960. (just make sure you print the Type I diagram as the default for the sight is type II bus stuff)

Once you have the diagram in hand, go out and empty the trunk and remove the trunk liner and the wiring cover from the back of the dash. Then just start tracing each wire and checking the diagram to make sure it is the correct color and going to the correct place.

If you find something that isn’t right, trace it out to see where it’s going and what it’s doing and then correct it.

The wiring is pretty simple and it helps to think about it in terms of plumbing. The wires are simply pipes allowing for the flow of electricity. You need good connections and those connections need to be clean.

There are also several places in the system where wires go to ground. Those connections MUST be clean and be making a good connection for components to work properly.

Take your time, relax, try to make sure you understand things completely and if you don’t go back to the book and read it again until you do. But don’t make any changes or adjustments until you are sure you are not just making a guess.

And DON’T let your friends guess as they learn how to screw things up on YOUR car!
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[gypsyone]

[61TXghia]

Went over to his house and this is what we found,
1. Car has enough gas but was not creating spark. There was Zero voltage at condenser. Cleaned up fuse connection and was able to get voltage now. Car started right up and died when throttle pressed.
2. Took off fuel line and pump works, but barely, disconnected fuel line and there is a clog because fuel does not flow at all.
3. Filled bowl in carb and ran just long enough to confirm that alternator is charging correctly when motor is revved

Fuel line is clogged as stated before by another person. Thanks guys for all your input.
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62 Standard Type 2 (Nothing Fancy)
my bus: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=464719